MSNBC to operate independently from NBC News in October transition

MSNBC will begin operating independently from NBC News next month, with the cable channel taking full control of its reporting and editorial work in staged steps beginning Oct. 6 and completing by Oct. 20, network leaders told staff. The move comes as Comcast spins off many of its cable assets into a new company, Versant, and will separate the two newsrooms that have shared resources since MSNBC's 1996 founding.

Scott Matthews, MSNBC's senior vice president of newsgathering, outlined the timeline on an internal editorial call. On Oct. 6, journalists who have accepted roles at MSNBC will transfer to the cable network and begin appearing solely on its programming, and the channel will stop relying on NBC News correspondents and crews for domestic and international coverage outside Washington, D.C. MSNBC will also begin using guidance from a newly formed MSNBC standards team that day. Beginning Oct. 20, the network will cease using NBC News resources for Washington coverage as well and will function editorially on its own, Matthews said. He added, "We will, of course, have our friends in the background in case there's some technical issues. But we think of that date as the day we...